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Newmains Primary School and Nursery Class
23rd November 2011
Dear Parent/Guardian,
I write to inform you that I have received official confirmation from the Executive Director of Learning and Leisure Services that all educational establishments will be closed to pupils on Wednesday 30th November due to official notification of industrial action from a range of trade unions.

Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Changes to children’s travel arrangements, 1st November 2011

Please can I ask for your support to reduce the number of interruptions to your child’s learning at school? Please help us by contacting the school before 2.30pm, where possible to make any changes to the arrangements for home time for your child. I do understand that this is not always possible but would appreciate your cooperation and support.

 

Curriculum for Excellence Update
Thank you for supporting our school by providing your views about our arrangements for homework. Your feedback is vital to improve learning experiences for our children at home. The comments you provided will help us to review our policy and enable the school to provide a broad range of experiences and opportunities for your child. I wish to thank you for your tremendous support of supporting us to celebrate the wider achievements of our children out with the school day. We have had a good response and it is an excellent way for you to talk to your child about their learning. I would urge you to send in more success stories to us as they happen.

 

Parental Consultations
I was delighted with the attendance of parents at our consultations last month. 88% of our parents met with their child’s class teacher. Attendance at these consultations are crucial for us to work in partnership and this ensures that we are all ‘trying our very best to ensure everyone achieves success’.

 

Awards for All Success
The school has managed to secure a grant of £6750 to purchase additional ICT resources. Our Parent Council has also been awarded up to £7500 (to be confirmed) to purchase a trim-trail for our infant playground. I am delighted with this news, as it will have a positive impact on the experiences we offer to your child.

 

ECO and Health News
Thank you to Mrs Maguire for hosting activities for Water Aid. We collected £164 for Water Aid. Our Uniform and Book Sale also raised £15.80 for the School Fund. Thank you for supporting us!

 

Work Experience Placements
We are hosting work experience placements for former pupils, week commencing 31st October.

 

DHL Safety Demonstration- Tuesday 22nd November
The school will be hosting a safety demonstration for children at P5-P7 children stages to highlight the potential dangers of vehicles. The vehicle due on site is a 40ft trailer and tractor unit. Thank you to Mr Wilkie for supporting the school to host this very worthwhile event.

 

Swimming News
Our Primary 5 children are really enjoying their swimming lessons at Wishaw Sports Centre. I would like to thank Mrs Walker, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Johnstone and Ms Baird for accompanying the class to the Sports Centre. Thank you!

 

Football News
Our children recently attended a Football Festival event organised by
Paul McArthur (our Janitor) at Ravenscraig Sports Centre. The children also enjoyed meeting Tom Hately and Darren Randolph who are first team players at Motherwell Football Club.

 

A Little Reminder:
Monday 14th November: School closed for an In-service day.
Please ensure items of clothing are marked with your child’s name on them.

 

Travel to School
Please remember that your child should only travel on the buses if they are in possession of a valid bus pass. Your child is not insured to travel on the bus if they don’t have a pass. Health and safety matters to us and we all need to do our bit to ensure our children are safe and protected.

 

St Andrews Day Celebrations
To celebrate St Andrews Day, I would ask if the children could wear something tartan that day at the cost of £1. We are hosting a quiz for P4-P7 pupils and children in P1-P3 will also be celebrating too! As this is a special celebration we will organise for a Scottish themed lunch for the children.

 

Parental Information Sheet about Learning
Shortly you will be receiving a new information sheet that will let you know what your child is working on in class this term. This means that the children have talked about their learning with the teacher and you now become part of this process also. Miss Gray has produced a very helpful information letter about how you can help your child with their homework. A copy is available on our school website at www.newmains.n-lanark.sch.uk

 

Fancy Dress Fun Day
Once again we had a great day and the children’s costumes were amazing. Thank you for your continued support with this; it really makes it a special day for everyone in school. The Primary 7’s did an excellent job of providing games and activities for all of us. It was a fun day!

 

Breakfast Club
Mrs Dempster, Mrs McMillan and Mrs Johnstone provide an excellent breakfast service for our children. This provides a very good start to the day and ensures your child is ready for learning. A range of cereals and toast is served, costing 20p each day.

 

December Dates
I can’t believe that it’s almost that very special time of year that we can’t mention till 1st December! We would very much appreciate donations for our Christmas Raffle. If you have a donation, please hand it into Mrs Johnston in our School Office.
To help you plan ahead for everything you have to do, I have outlined all the school activities in December below:

Nursery Class Nativity am and pm Tuesday 13th December
Christmas Concert/Fayre: Wednesday 14th December at 9.30am and 1.30pm (more details will follow)
Christmas Lunch: Wednesday 14th December (P1-P7 pupils)
Christmas Pantomime: Thursday 15th December pm (P1-P7 pupils only)
Christmas Magic Show: Friday 16th December am and pm (nursery)

 

Parties:
Nursery am and pm – Thursday 15th December
R4 and R9- Tuesday 20th December pm
R11, R12 and R14- Monday 19th December pm
R15, R17 & R18- Friday 16th December pm

Our Christmas Celebration will be held at Coltness Memorial Church on Tuesday 20th December at 10am.
Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

 

CAN YOU HELP? 25th October 2011
Dear Parents,
Can you help by supplying any of these items from the list below?
ITEMS REQUIRED:
COFFEE BEANS SUPER NOODLES
TINNED FRUIT SOUP PASTA
CUSTARD SPAGHETTI PASTA SAUCES
BISCUITS TEA BAGS TINNED VEGETABLES
Please support a very good cause by sending your donation into the school with your child. David Shaw will call into the school on Friday 4th November to uplift your donations. If you require any more information about the Basics Food Bank, David can be contacted on 0770 8181347
Thank your for your help.
E CLINTON
Head Teacher

 

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, 13th October 2011
What is hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness of infants and children. It is characterised by fever, sores in the mouth, and a skin rash. HFMD begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise (feeling vaguely unwell), and often a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days, with flat or raised red spots and sometimes with blisters. The skin rash does not itch and is usually on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It may also appear on the buttocks or genitalia. A person with HFMD may have only the rash or only the mouth sores.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease the same as foot-and-mouth disease?
No. HFMD is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease of animals. Although the names are similar, the two diseases are not related and are caused by different viruses. People do not get foot-and-mouth disease, and animals do not get hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease serious?
HFMD is a mild disease and patients generally recovery in 7 to 10 days without medical treatment.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease contagious?
Yes, HFMD is moderately contagious. Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness.
What are the risks to pregnant women exposed to children with hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Infection during pregnancy may cause mild or no illness in the mother. There is no evidence that maternal infection causes adverse outcomes of pregnancy.
Strict adherence to good hygiene practices by pregnant women may help to decrease the risk of infection during pregnancy and around the time of delivery.
How is hand, foot, and mouth disease treated?
No specific treatment is available for this infection. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers.
Can hand, foot, and mouth disease be prevented?
Specific prevention for HFMD infection is not available, but the risk of infection can be lowered by following good hygiene practices. Preventive measures include:
Washing hands frequently and correctly and especially after changing nappies and after using the toilet
Cleaning dirty surfaces and soiled items, including toys, first with soap and water, rinsing and disinfecting them
Avoiding close contact (kissing, hugging, sharing eating utensils and cups, etc.) with persons with HFMD

How should hand, foot, and mouth disease in the child care setting be handled?
NHS Lanarkshire has no specific recommendations regarding the exclusion of children with HFMD from child care programs, schools, or other group settings.
If an outbreak occurs in the child care setting,
Inform NHS Lanarkshire Health Protection Team 01698 858232 or 858228
Make sure that all children and adults wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, especially after changing nappies or using the toilet.
Thoroughly wash and disinfect contaminated items and surfaces, using a recommended disinfectant.

 

PARENTAL CONSULTATIONS– News from Mr Clinton
Please do come along on Thursday 13th October to find out how your child is settling into his/her new class. You will be able to get a progress update from your child’s Class teacher.
Tracy Ann Kidd, Health Promotion Officer from NHS Lanarkshire will be in our school to answer any questions you may have about health matters or our programme for Health and Wellbeing. She will be available from 3 to 6pm. Our Parent Council will also be around and have organised a Tombola to raise funds. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

 

HOW WELL ARE WE DOING? SCHOOL ATTENDANCE UPDATE

In the October Newsletter, I highlighted that the Scottish Government target for attendance at school is set at 98%.
Regular attendance at school is vital to ensure continued progress. We need to work together to ensure that our children can achieve their fullest potential at school. So far the statistics indicate:
In Primary 1 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (95.6%)
In Primary 2 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (97.8%)
In Primary 3 almost all children attend school on a regular basis (95.7%)
In Primary 4 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (96.7%)
In Primary 5 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (93.7%)
In Primary 6 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (94.5%)
In Primary 7 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (95.7%)
Across the school, almost all children attend on a regular basis. Currently the school’s performance is 95.7%, which is below the national average.

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Hello everyone and welcome to the Newmains Primary School Blog! Keep posted for news and event updates coming soon.

Welcome to blogs.glowscotland.org.uk – North Lanarkshire. Time to start blogging!